HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

MERSEY TUNNEL
The story of an undertaking.

The pictures that follow are taken from a book by the same name. The date of publication is not known but I think it was sometime in 1964/5 It was published by "The Town Clerk's Information Office" for the "Mersey Tunnel Joint Committee".
I make no claim to the pictures nor text within the pictures.

Today, 18 July a special day >>>>>>

Lest anyone has forgotten ==== HAPPY BIRTHDAY tunnel:- 73 years old today.
Give a thought to those that built it with only Pick, Shovel and Hand and the determination to carry on.

The pictures that follow are taken from a book by the same name. The date of publication is not known but I think it was sometime in 1964/5 It was published by "The Town Clerk's Information Office" for the "Mersey Tunnel Joint Committee".
I make no claim to the pictures nor text within the pictures.

Fascinating, Phredd. Thanks for posting these excerpts from the book. The style of the book cover looks somewhat older than 1964/5 and since I see booksellers make the point that while there is "No date, but facts & figures given up to 31 March 1956" I would guess it might have been published in 1956 or in time for the 750th anniversary of Liverpool in 1957.

Liverpools' History

I have looked on the site for peoples reminiscences of that great day in November 1980 when The Peoples March for Jobs started on its' journey from Sefton Park to London.It was one of the largest gatherings of people in Liverpools history,perhaps because it was peaceful it has passed from the common memory.I was there and I wrote of it at that time,the piece below was printed in the Transport and General Workers Unions' periodical"The Record"

The mini bus seemed as though it would never start,half an hour late and I still had'nt made a single pick up. Ten of us there were that morning. Liverpool bound,worried about the weather and filled with memories of that bitter cold march at Brighton.
For me though this was going to be an extra special occasion,of all the marches I had been onthis one had that little bit of an extra pull. Twenty eight years ago I had lived and played on the route that the march was to take.
I was determined to take my ten year old son Steven with me on this march,but when I thought of Brighton I was filled with misgivings.
Well,were on our way now,me at the wheel and my son beside me.If there was going to be any trouble I would make sure my was safe,and anyway,we were not travelling 120 miles just for "aggro".
All the way up the M6 we passed coaches filled with people on their way to the 'pool. They were'nt hard to pick out,the coach windows were plastered with anti Tory posters.
We lost count of how many coaches by the time we reached Knutsford, "It's looking good " said one of the lads'.I could do nothing but agree.
We went up the M56 through Runcorn and Speke and there was'nt a single coach in sight. Through Garston ,Grassendale and then on to Aigburth Vale, and still no sign of coaches;it was 10.50 a.m.,and as were supposed to muster at 11.00a.m.,I was worried.
"Where the hell have they all got to ?" I asked out loud.

Along Aigburth Vale,they should be coming up on the right now...........
"There they are Dad!" yelled Steven,pointing excitedly. And so they were.
Hundreds of them,nose to tail,driving around the parks perimeter road.
The nearer we got to Ullett Road the more to looked like the Liverpool I remembered from the local derby days. Pavements full of people walking in one direction.
I dropped off our party and parked the coach in the city centre..We would be in plenty of time if we caught the bus back.
There was a notice posted on the bus shelter warning people about the disruption to services that day "No buses for three hours,that will make us popular lad " I said to Steven. "Don't worry luv" said an old woman beside me,"We've been wantin' summat' like this since that cow's bin in govvimint!"
Well,that was a positive response anyway.
On the bus it was even better,it was like a holiday atmosphere,nearly everyone aboard was headed for the park.Young and old,friends and strangers,sitting laughing and joking together,showing of that sharp "Scouse" wit as they made ribald remarks at Maggie Thatchers expense.
And soon we were heading down Lodge Lane on foot to get back to the park and find our branch banner.
Every kind of accent that exists in Great Britain could be heard about us.It wasa about this time that I began to think that this could well equal any of those demos' we'd been to in London. When we got to the park I was sure of it. What a sight it was, the cold clear autumn sun,glaring through bare branches of the trees,winking off brassed topped banner poles,burnishing the gold and scarlet standards.
There were thousands,tens of thousands,standing beneath banners bright. This was an army,this was working class splendour.
Images of Agincourt sprung to mind, it was breathtaking,all the colours,all the people,all the bands,and of course,the Police,there seemed quite a few of them too.
Brighton again? No,look closer,they're relaxed and smiling. O.K.,now to find our banner.
Just looking for it was a pleasure,to see the faces of old friends not seen since the last demo,or the one before.A quick hello and then onward to the TGWU section.
Just made it and then we were off. As soon as the march was on its' way we knew that this was going to be different. The difference was that here we were made welcome,the welcome was on the faces of the onlookers,in their cheers and their waves.It was a vast festive procession,shoppers and shopkeepers thronged the sides of the march,tipplers came out of the pubs' and people leaned out of upstairs windows.
This was not Londonwith its tourists,who often looked us as thoughwe were some curious English custom. There were no flunkeyed doormen to sneer at us nor were there any hostile remarks. Here we were welcomed,wanted.

By God we were needed. It was 28 years since I was here and there was hardly anything left of my childhood home.The house was gone ,an old estate car stood on the remains of the living room floor,the street was gone too,boarded up with corrugated iron. It was most probably waiting for Maggie Thatchers free enterprise heaven to arrive.
And on we marched,our banner billowing proudly in the breeze."It's just like marching to war" I thought "Fighting against the destruction of peoples souls.The war is being waged against us because we wanted something better" Aye ,and Consett,Shotton,Glasgow,Liverpool and all those other towns that supplied the muscle of Britains Imperial past are now the battlegrounds. Maggie ,you took us on,this is a fight we were not looking for,but when you close our factories,our hospitals and schools,when you leave us without a place to live and you cause our old people to starve and die of cold.......then Maggie,look out !! for we will fight ,and fight hard!
The winds were getting stronger now as we neared the waterfront,two and ahalf miles of marching and cheering ,and the biggest cheers came from the poorest dwellings. The delight on the peoples was writ plain for all to see as they saw us coming past. "They're from from Birmingham Mum" "Look they're from Scotland !" "Good on yer Taffys'" "Hurray for the Paddys'!" This was the first march that I had been on where the spectators cheered louder than the demonstrators.
Well,we were at the Pier Head now,heady with the success of it all,overwhelmed at the welcome,nothing could beat it we said. But we were wrong. It was now one o'clock and the Pier Head was chock full!
Michael Foot was in full flood and th applause was like Wembley,Goodison and Anfield combined. And stiil the marchers poured through Liverpool,and four hours later they were still coming.
Brothers and Sisters,if you were in Liverpool ,you will know of what I write.
But how about you gentlefolk who were absent that day? Where were you? The army of the unemployed will march through your town soon. Don't wait until you are one of them before you give them your support. The Labour Party wants your help in fighting this cancer.
WILL YOU BE THERE?

How times have changed,those desolate streets we marched through have been consigned to the dustbin of history,the Liverpool of today is vibrant and on the verge of a great new year. Were we so wrong all those years ago?,did the march strike chords in peoples hearts. I was on the final leg of the March in London and that was a huge occasion,festive and peaceful,shortly after that I bade goodbye to politics and settled down to being self employed. Days Of Hope eh?
Briand

FEISTY WOMENS' CLUB STILL GOING STRONG

IT WAS SAD THAT THE 1918 CLUB WAS OMITTED FROM YOUR LIST OF FACTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS.
IN 1918 ELEANOR RATHBONE AND OTHERS STARTED A CLUB THAT STILL SURVIVES TO THIS DAY. WE MEET MONTHLY AND HAVE SPEAKERS WHO GIVE OF THEIR TIME WITHOUT PAYMENT ,OTHER THAN HAVING THE LUNCH OF THE DAY. IN MAY OF THIS YEAR WE ARE CELEBRATING OUR 90TH ANNIVERSARY, WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT.
LIVERPOOL HERITAGE FORUM HAS FEATURED US ON THEIR WEB SITE AND I THINK PERHAPS THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE FORUM ALSO.